This invention relates in general to body and frame assemblies for vehicles. In particular, this invention relates to a unitary cross member and body mount support bracket for use in the frame portion of a vehicle body and frame assembly for facilitating the connection of the body portion thereto.
Many land vehicles in common use, such as automobiles, vans, and trucks, include a body and frame assembly that is supported upon a plurality of ground-engaging wheels by a resilient suspension system. The structures of known body and frame assemblies can be divided into two general categories, namely, separate and unitized. In a typical separate body and frame assembly, the structural components of the body portion and the frame portion of the vehicle are separate and independent from one another. When assembled, the frame portion of the assembly is resiliently supported upon the vehicle wheels by the suspension system and serves as a platform upon which the body portion of the assembly and other components of the vehicle can be mounted. Separate body and frame assemblies of this general type are found in most older vehicles, but remain in common use today for many relatively large or specialized use modem vehicles, such as large vans, sport utility vehicles, and trucks. In a typical unitized body and frame assembly, the structural components of the body portion and the frame portion are combined into an integral unit that is resiliently supported upon the vehicle wheels by the suspension system. Unitized body and frame assemblies of this general type are found in many relatively small modem vehicles, such as automobiles and minivans.
In a typical separate type of vehicle body and frame assembly, the frame portion has a plurality of body mount support brackets secured thereto to facilitate the connection of the body portion of the vehicular body and frame assembly to the frame portion. To accomplish this, each of the body mount support brackets has an opening formed therethrough. The openings are sized in accordance with respective body mounts provided on the body portion of the vehicular body and frame assembly. In a manner that is well known in the art, the body mounts are received and supported within the openings of the body mount support brackets to connect the body portion to the frame portion to form the vehicular body and frame assembly.
Traditionally, the various components of known vehicle body and frame assemblies have been formed from open channel structural members, i.e., structural members that have a non-continuous cross sectional shape (U-shaped or C-shaped channel members, for example). Such open channel structural members are usually formed from flat metal stock that is bent or otherwise deformed into the desired cross sectional shape. The non-continuous cross sectional shape of such open channel structural members allows ancillary devices, such as body mount support brackets, to be secured thereto in a relatively easy manner. For example, it is well known to form one or more apertures through mating portions of the body mount support bracket and the open channel structural member. The apertures are aligned with one another, and threaded fasteners are inserted therethrough to secure the two pieces together. Nuts or other retaining members can be threaded onto the ends of the threaded fasteners and tightened to secure the body mount support bracket to the open channel structural member. Because of the non-continuous cross sectional shape of the open channel structural member, the ends of the threaded fasteners are easily accessible. Furthermore, because the mating portions of the body mount support bracket and the closed channel structural member are generally flat, the nuts on the ends of the threaded fasteners can be tightened as desired without causing damage to either the body mount support bracket or the open channel structural member.
However, more recently, it has been proposed to form one or more of the various vehicle body and frame components from closed channel structural members, i.e., structural members that have a continuous cross sectional shape (tubular or box-shaped channel members, for example). This cross sectional shape is advantageous because it provides strength and rigidity to the vehicle body and frame component. Also, this cross sectional shape is desirable because it facilitates the use of hydroforming. Hydroforming is a well known process that uses pressurized fluid to deform a hollow member into a desired shape. The hollow member is initially disposed between two movable die sections of a hydroforming apparatus that, when closed together, define a die cavity having a desired final shape for the hollow member. Thereafter, the hollow member is filled with a pressurized fluid, typically a relatively incompressible liquid such as water. The pressure of the fluid is increased to a magnitude where the hollow member is expanded outwardly into conformance with the die cavity. As a result, the hollow member is deformed into the desired final shape for the workpiece.
Unfortunately, it has been found to be somewhat more difficult to secure the above-described ancillary devices, including the body mount support brackets, to such closed channel structural members. This is because access to the end of the threaded fastener located within the interior of the closed channel structural member is relatively difficult, thus making it relatively difficult to thread the nut or other retaining device thereon. To address this, it has been proposed to form aligned apertures through a pair of opposed walls of a closed channel structural member and to have the threaded fastener extend through such aligned apertures. Because the end of the threaded fastener extends completely through the closed channel structural member, it is easily accessible to thread the nut or other retaining device thereon. However, care must be taken to prevent the nut from being excessively tightened, which could cause collapsing deformation or other damage to the closed channel structural member. To prevent this from occurring, it has further been proposed to provide a hollow cylindrical spacer about the portion of the threaded fastener that is disposed within the closed channel structural member. Because access to the interior of the closed channel structure member is limited, as mentioned above, the use of such spacers is also relatively difficult. Thus, it would be desirable to provide an improved structure for a body mount support bracket for use in a separate type of a vehicle body and frame assembly.
This invention relates to an improved structure for a separate type of body and frame assembly including a frame portion and a body portion. The frame portion includes a pair of longitudinally extending side rails, each of which has a plurality of openings formed therethrough. A plurality of transverse cross members extend between side rails and are secured thereto. Each of the cross members is formed having first and second ends that extend through the openings formed through the side rails. Each of the first and second ends of the cross members is formed integrally and unitarily with the cross member and has a body mount structure, such as an aperture, formed therein or otherwise provided thereon. The ends of the cross members are initially inserted through the openings formed through the side rails. Then, such ends of the cross members are secured to the side rails, such as by electromagnetic pulse welding, to form the frame portion of the vehicle body and frame assembly. The body mount apertures cooperate with respective body mounts provided on the body portion to connect the body portion to the frame portion to form the vehicle body and frame assembly.
Various objects and advantages of this invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description of the preferred embodiment, when read in light of the accompanying drawings.